Creative Suite 6 is here and our team of design, interactive and post-production experts have been working with the software to find out whether they’re the must-have upgrades Adobe unsurprisingly promises they are. Alongside the reviews as published when the software first shipped, we've also returned to many of the applications after a few months to discuss what our experts have found in using the software over time.

Our team has also created a series of step-by-step guides about one headline new feature in six of the tools: After Effects CS6, Dreamweaver CS6, Flash Pro CS6, Illustrator CS6, InDesign CS6, Photoshop CS6 and Premiere Pro CS6. Discover just how each of these tools work – and whether you think you’ll be able to put them to good use in your future projects.

The likes of Photoshop, Illustrator and Premiere debut redesigned interfaces, while new tools range from 3D tracking in After Effects to pattern design in Illustrator.

As Creative Suite 5.5, CS6 is available in a variety of versions – but the line-up's been tweaked. Design Standard remains the same. Design Premium and Web Premium have been merged into Design/Web Premium, Production Premium costs the same as Design/Web Premium. The Master Collection still includes everything. And then there's the new Creative Cloud software-and-services subscription service. For a full list of what's in which suite, check out Adobe's Buying Guide chart.

CS6 Design Standard costs £1,032, or from £219 as an upgrade. CS6 Design/Web Premium or Production Premium costs £1,509, or from £298 as an upgrade. CS6 Master Collection costs £2,223, or from £397 as an upgrade.

Creative Cloud costs £38.11 per month with an annual contract. Current owners of CS3 or later suites or products can get this for £22.23 per month. On a month-by-month basis, Creative Cloud costs 57.17.

All prices exclude VAT.

Click on the links below for hands-on reviews from experts in graphics and interactive design, illustration, animation and video post-production.